A Gift from the Heart
by Heir Guardian
Summary: Sometimes the closest bonds are the ones we never hear of.
1. 1

A Gift from the Heart  
  
  
  
"-And Yugi has once again been declared the undisputed King of."  
  
She walked over to the television set and turned it off before moving to wear her brother sat on the couch. He didn't look upset that she had turned off the coverage of the latest Duel Monster's Tournament. In fact, he looked kind of relieved.  
  
She sat down beside him and smiled. "You'll be able to do that someday." She was referring to the type of dueling he had just been watching. He turned and smiled slightly at her.  
  
"No, I won't, but it doesn't matter." He looked at his own deck lying on the table in front of him and smiled. "These cards were gifts from you and mom and that makes them more important than anything else. They don't need to prove their worth." He leaned back into the worn couch cushions and closed his eyes. He heard his sister sigh and leave the room, heading upstairs. He opened his eyes then and reached for his deck, speaking softly into the now empty room.  
  
"Although sometimes I wish they could." He got up and grabbed a sweater and then headed out the door. He still had some shopping to do before Christmas and now seemed like a good time.  
  
Kiora watched her brother walk out the door and down the road, shaking her head sadly. She knew how much Dueling meant to him, as did mom, but the problem was that it was an expensive passion, one that was hard for their small family to afford. It had been hard enough to get him the cards he had, and they knew that even they weren't enough, but Tyr never complained, saying that they were special because they had been gifts.  
  
It was that fact that had decided her choice in gift this year. She looked over at her bed and the small carefully wrapped package. She smiled and remembered how she had got it earlier that day. Everyone knew that the game shop near here was run by the famous Yugi's grandfather and that had made her nervous to go there, fearing the people there would be stuck up and rude.  
  
But today she had gathered her courage and walked over and had been surprised. The store was small but comfortable, with no sign Yugi except for a small picture on the counter. Looking around Kiora had seen all the different types of cards and quickly got lost. Luckily Mr. Mouto had come over and offered to help her. He explained what was popular, which cards could really help a deck and so on.  
  
But as she looked at the prices her heart sank and she had to tell him to stop, that she couldn't pay that kind of money and probably never would be able to. He had stopped and looked at her. But instead of ignoring her as she expected he brought her over to the counter and had reached for a binder behind him and for a pack of cards.  
  
"Buy the pack, it doesn't cost much, but their random and then, " he placed his hands on the binder in front of him. "I want you to go through this binder and choose one card. Whatever that card is I'll give it to you. All I ask is that you choose with your heart and not your eyes."  
  
She had been amazed at the level of trust that had been placed in her. She could have chosen the most expensive card there and he had promised to give it to her.  
  
But she hadn't.  
  
Instead she had done as he had asked and had chosen with her heart.  
  
"And I found you." She spoke to the little wrapped present that held the pack and that one card. "You may not be the most powerful card, but you go to someone I care deeply about and you go with my blessing." She placed a hand over the present and it almost seemed as if she could feel a heart beat from deep within. Before she could question her sanity though, she heard the door downstairs open and knew their Mother was home. She ran downstairs and told her of what she had found and her mother agreed to go back to the shop and choose a card for Tyr herself. They both got in the car and drove over to the shop.  
  
Tyr loved and hated this time of the year. Like all other fourteen year olds, he loved the lights and decorations and all the displays. But then he saw families walking around together and suddenly everything didn't seem so bright. His father had died when he was really young and because of that their mother had to work two jobs to support the three of them.  
  
He didn't hate her for it. No, he admired the love and dedication she showed her family. He had decided to hate Fate instead, to hate the force in life that had dealt him this hand. He often wished that they all could see more of each other, but it wasn't possible to do that and eat as well.  
  
He sat down on a bench by one of the fountains in the mall and tried to solve his hardest problem of each year.  
  
What to get the two most important people in his life for Christmas with the small amount of money he was able to gather from doing odd jobs all year. Not just anything would do. It had to be special and that was the hard part. He sighed and got up to start walking again. He wouldn't find something by sitting in one place.  
  
He looked in all the windows he passed, not expecting to find something that easily, so it was with something akin to shock that he found their gifts, right in front of his eyes. He moved over to the shop, one of those little specialty shops with expensive statues and such. He would have normally passed them by, fearing to look at the price tags, but this time he couldn't say no.  
  
In the window, for prices he could afford, were two glass ornaments with designs painted across their surface. One had dolphins swimming through a wave, the water flowing around the glass in a never-ending sea; and the other had a pair of wings joined across their surface, each feather detailed with no sign of beginning or end. They were perfect and he went in and bought them.  
  
The lady there smiled down at him and wrapped them well so they wouldn't break or get damaged and told him to have a merry Christmas. He smiled and returned the wish and then walked out of the mall heading home.  
  
When he reached his street he knew something was wrong. Around his house were many police officers and an ambulance. One of his neighbors spotted him coming down the street and ran over to him. She looked like she was holding back tears. She said nothing, just hugged him and brought him over to his house where a crowd had grown. It was once they had parted a bit that he saw it. It was his mom's car, almost turned into the driveway, almost home, with another car smashed through it. He wasn't too young or innocent to not know that all the red covering the driveway and the inside the car was blood that belonged to his family and to not realize that there was no way they could have walked away from it alive.  
  
His bag dropped from numb fingers and he dimly heard the sound of glass shattering. A sea had ended; a pair of wings would never fly again. His world was over.  
  
He ignored the sympathetic looks, the murmured words of comfort and support. He ignored the wrecked car and the blood stains covering his drive way.  
  
He paid no heed to the officers or medics. All his focus was on a white sheet shining in the sunlight. He walked over to it, slowly and carefully and knelt down beside it.  
  
No one stopped him as he reached out and pulled back the cover, bracing himself to say good-bye. Their faces, those he had loved and cherished, were now exposed to sunlight, their eyes forever closed.  
  
A tear slid down his cheek as he leaned closer and whispered, "I love you." one last time. He replaced the cover, got up and walked slowly to his now silent and empty house, but an officer met him halfway there. He handed Tyr a small plastic bag. Tyr took it in confusion.  
  
"We found it in the car." The officer explained. "It's for you."  
  
Tyr nodded his head, not saying anything; shock had already stolen his voice. He reached into the bag and pulled out a small present. The tag read simply- 'To Tyr, Love Mom.'  
  
He held it close as he walked inside, knowing that others would deal with what to do now. For a moment he let the silence in the house wash over him, numbing the pain, but only for a moment. Quiet steps took him through the house, room by room. It was no longer his home; his heart no longer lived here. Each room was examined; each object that had belonged to them was remembered. His feet took him to his sister's room and lying on her bed he saw another present, like the one he held in his hand. Again, it was addressed to him.  
  
'I left their gifts outside!' It was the only thought that registered in his head at that moment, and he ran back downstairs and out the door, startling the people nearest. He made his way over to the spot where he had dropped the ornaments and picked up the bag.  
  
Inside, the ornaments lay broken, but he knew he could put them back together.  
  
'I'll fix it. It'll be easy.'  
  
Making sure all the pieces were there, he hugged the bag close, careful not to break it any further, and walked back inside, back to his sister's room and there he lay down on the floor, all four gifts clutched close to his body.  
  
It was a long time before he slept and an even longer time before he could see past the nightmares.  
  
4 Months Later.  
  
Tyr sat in the park, watching people going by in the early morning sun. He sat quietly, not saying a word, his voice still lost from the day of the accident. He knew people were worried, but he couldn't help it.  
  
He had nothing to say that was worth the effort of trying to find his voice for. He no longer even cried, he just went through each day, existing, not really living.  
  
The orphanage had taken him in, since he had no living family, but because of his new 'condition', more commonly referred to as shock, no one was willing to take him in. But that didn't bother him in the least. Could they actually expect anyone to take the place of his mother or sister?  
  
If so, they were insane.  
  
He knew classes would be starting soon and got up and headed towards the school. It was at least something to help him pass each day, something that helped him stay sane.  
  
'Even if the students do act like they're walking on glass around me.'  
  
He got to school just in time and took his seat, never once looking up or around, but everyone knew that Tyr had been this way since 'that day', and no one commented. He heard the class fill up around him and then their teacher showed up. She was a nice lady; he had to admit, Ms. Anallee.  
  
As they were given their assignments for the day, Tyr reached into his bag to pull out a pencil, but his hand closed on something else instead.  
  
He pulled it out and stared. In his hand he held the still unopened presents. He had placed them aside that day and then forgotten about them amidst the confusion of having to move and the funeral.  
  
Tyr continued to stare at them, not seeing the questioning looks he was receiving from the students near him. Almost of their own accord, his hands opened the first present from Kiora. Inside was a pack of Duel Monster cards. He placed them on the table and noticed another, single card wrapped in a note. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at Kiora's handwriting.  
  
-'I was told to chose with my heart and so I did. This card I give to you. She holds all the love I have for you.'-  
  
A single sob left his throat as he looked down at the card.  
  
Rainbow Marine Mermaid stared back. A mermaid, he had to smile at that. Fitting that Kiora, who loved the sea, would give him a treasure from it. He tried to speak her name, but his voice refused to obey and he was left silent, his hands shaking.  
  
He looked over at the other present and with the same care he opened it.  
  
Like the other gift, there was a pack of cards and a separate card as well as a little note. He could barely make out his mother's final words through the tears now blocking his vision.  
  
-'I love you my son. For years you have supported me silently and now I shall support and protect you.'-  
  
It was too much. Silently he cried out, and let the grief overwhelm him. As he fell in to darkness he felt another student reach over and catch him, stopping him from hitting the ground.  
  
Deep in the Shadow realm a new Deck was forming, Tyr's, and within those confines two cards stared each other down. One from the sky and one from the sea.  
  
Marine glared up at Meteor.  
  
"It's all your fault they're dead! He didn't need you, he just needed them!"  
  
The Dragon stared back, his eyes ice to her fire.  
  
"His mother chose me for him. I will support him and protect him in her place to the best of my abilities." He continued to stare at her. "If you are to blame any card then let it be yourself. You started this."  
  
Marine screamed at him and launched herself through the water with a flick of her tail. Other cards watched on from outside the Deck and wondered what had caused this fight between two favored cards. 


	2. 2

When Tyr woke up he was lying in a bed he didn't recognize. It took him a few moments to get his bearings straight, but when he did he realized that he was in the nurse's office. He was alone at the moment and for that he was thankful.  
  
He needed time to think, time to breathe.  
  
'Time to remember.'  
  
He continued to lie there, staring at the white ceiling, not really seeing it as anything but a background for his memories.  
  
'Those cards were bought as singles. But where did they get them?' He thought of all the game shops around and there was only one he could think of that would specialize in Duel Monsters enough to have singles.  
  
'Turtle Game Shop.'  
  
At that moment the Nurse finally walked in and smiled when she saw he was awake.  
  
"Welcome back Tyr. You gave us all quite a scare today." She checked his vitals and nodded to herself when everything seemed normal. Turning to Tyr, her face grew serious. "Do you want to talk about it?" He looked at her and then looked away, shaking his head.  
  
She sighed, but he could see in her face that she hadn't expected a yes.  
  
"Can you make it home by yourself?" Tyr nodded. "Well if you say so. Your stuff is here, I'll let the office know you're headed home." She headed towards the door, but turned back for a moment. "At least you can still cry." Then she was gone.  
  
He sat there for a moment and then mentally shook himself. Grabbing his bag, he headed out the door and out of the school, but instead of heading towards the orphanage, he turned and headed towards the game shop.  
  
He didn't know why, but he had to go there. He wanted to see the man who had last talked to his family.  
  
It didn't take him long to get there, but it did take a while before he could make himself enter the small store. Finally he braced himself and pushed open the door to the neatly kept interior. He looked around at the shelves of cards and games, all lined up and cared for.  
  
This was a place he would have loved to spend time in with Kiora. But he had missed his chance.  
  
The elderly man behind the counter must have been the famous Yugi's grandfather. There hair looked alike. He smiled as Tyr approached.  
  
"Welcome. Is there something I can help you with?" For a moment Tyr almost wished he could speak again, but still the words would not come. Instead he reached into his bag and brought out the two cards. He handed them to the man and just watched.  
  
Tyr knew he had chosen the right shop when he saw the face grow older and the eyes softened with sorrow.  
  
"So it was you who lost your family, wasn't it?" Tyr nodded silently. Mr. Mouto collapsed back into a chair behind the counter and they were both silent for a moment, then he looked up at Tyr again and smiled slightly.  
  
"How about a drink? You don't have to talk to me, but the company would be nice. I don't get many people here during the day." Tyr nodded and together they sat behind the counter. Tyr learned about many things, including the fact that everyone referred to Mr. Mouto as Grandpa. It was nice to spend the time listening and he was never pressed to talk at all, for which he was grateful. At one point Tyr wrote down the number for the orphanage and Grandpa had called them to know where he was.  
  
Soon the afternoon came and five noisy kids entered the shop. Tyr knew them all from TV. They seemed surprise to see Tyr there, but Grandpa just introduced them and Tyr nodded politely back.  
  
"Well Tyr, I told the orphanage that you would probably stay here for a dinner. I hope you don't mind?" Tyr smiled slightly and nodded his head. He would love to have a meal away from there for once. Grandpa smiled and then left him with his grandson and his friends.  
  
Yugi was the first to approach and he immediately noticed the two cards in front of Tyr.  
  
"Do you Duel?" Tyr paused for a moment. He knew he could duel, but to use those cards.  
  
No he couldn't do that now.  
  
He shook his head. Yugi frowned. "We could teach you, if you wish?" Just then the blond, Joey came forward and threw an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"Yeah! We'll teach you how to Duel! It'll be fun." Before he could back away he was pulled downstairs and they had set up a table. He listened politely as the rules were explained and advice was given on how to make a deck. At that point he reached into his bag and pulled out his old deck, placing it in front of him.  
  
Yugi's eyebrow rose, but he didn't comment and for a moment it seemed that someone else was looking through the young boy's eyes. He shook off the feeling and carefully reached out for the two cards. His hand shook as he reached for them, but another hand went onto his shoulder.  
  
"They're special to you aren't they?" He looked up and saw Tea looking down at him. He nodded and then taking a deep breath he placed them into his deck. He looked back up at Yugi and this time the feeling was stronger. It wasn't just Yugi watching him, it was something far more. He shuffled the whole deck carefully, allowing them to settle in their new home. Placing one hand over them, Tyr signaled he was ready to learn.  
  
Marine looked around her new home. Tyr's deck had been formed completely now and the cards were just now settling in. She saw a few aqua types she recognized and waved at them, receiving a smile in return. She sighed.  
  
It would have been perfect.  
  
If not for him.  
  
Black Meteor Dragon. She glared at where he stood, above all the other cards. He was a Level 8 card, the most powerful in the deck and he seemed to make sure all who saw him knew it. She couldn't stand it. He was responsible for the death of their Duelists family!  
  
'But he's not the only one. Kiora found you first. You led the way.'  
  
She smothered the voice in her head, making it stay silent. It was not her fault.  
  
But what if it was?  
  
Meteor looked down from the cliff he had perched on and looked over the deck. It was a fairly nice deck, one he was glad to call home. Then his eyes saw Marine, lounging in a stream that crossed through their home.  
  
He could feel her hatred for him from here. This wasn't acceptable. They all had to work as a team and they couldn't do that if this hate and anger stayed.  
  
'Especially since we both mean so much to Tyr.'  
  
He shook away those thoughts and instead tried to figure out how to talk to her. For an aqua type she certainly had a fiery temper. He sighed and then felt it. The deck shifted and a door appeared.  
  
Tyr was dueling!  
  
He watched as the first five cards were called to the door and went through. This was a good sign indeed. He settled down and waited to see if he would be called to the field.  
  
Tyr played his first card, Water Omotics, in defense mode. Yugi's first card was Celtic Guardian. Evenly matched, neither attacked. Tyr's next turn was to place one card face down and to sacrifice Water Omotics for Marine. But he froze before he could place her on the field.  
  
Was it right to use his sister's love for a duel?  
  
He continued to hesitate and the others grew worried. Yugi waited patiently for Tyr to do something, but he couldn't.  
  
He didn't have the right to use these cards. They had cost lives and that price had been too high. He placed his hand down and looked down, forfeiting the match before it had begun.  
  
A tear made it's way down his cheek and he felt himself hugged from behind. Grandpa's voice made it's way through the pain.  
  
"Let it out. They loved you, you can cry for them. There is nothing wrong with that." Tyr turned and sobbed into the elderly man's shirt. Being held like a child made him feel safe, something that he hadn't felt for a long time. He cried himself out and was left feeling physically and emotionally drained.  
  
"Come on Tyr. You can sleep here tonight." He nodded, to tired to protest. One of the other boys lifted him and he was carried upstairs and put in a bed. The voices of the others drifted off and he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
But he wasn't alone in the room.  
  
Yugi looked down at the sleeping child with eyes now red, before walking over and placing a hand on his forehead. He felt the young boy's mind shift to that of the shadow realm.  
  
It's time he and the cards talked. He walked back out of the room and downstairs. Sorrow was not a burden any child should have to deal with alone. 


	3. 3

Tyr opened his eyes but he didn't get the expected unknown ceiling. Instead he was faced with a sky. He lay there a few moments more, wondering how he ended up outside. The next moment, though, gave him pause. What looked like a little orange dragon crossed the sky in front of him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. Was he dreaming?  
  
It seemed the little dragon had the same question because as soon as it saw him it did a double take and headed right for his position, landing softly beside him. He sat up and soon found his arms full with none other than Baby Dragon. It had to be, it looked exactly like the card.  
  
'Wonder where he came from?'  
  
"From your Deck!" The little creature chirped. Tyr looked at it in surprise. He knew he hadn't said anything out loud.  
  
"I'm one of your cards, I can read your mind." The little dragon looked uncertain. "Did I do something wrong?" Tyr quickly shook his head and rubbed the scaled skin along a horn. If he could have, he would have laughed at the purr-like sound he received.  
  
He didn't know what had happened, but he wasn't scared.  
  
Soon Baby Dragon got up, although reluctantly and grabbed Tyr's hand gently within his claws.  
  
"You must come, Tyr! You can stop the fighting between them!" Tyr found himself dragged along behind the dragon and soon he saw what looked like a black dome. It's surface reflected the light, almost like glass or metal.  
  
"It's the seal around the Deck. All Decks have one so that the cards have a safe haven when here."  
  
It seemed he really could read Tyr's mind. But before he could form another question he was dragged into the Deck and came face to face with his own cards. They all rested in either the forest or mountain area, the two field cards he had. Looking around he was able to name all of them, except, two seemed to be missing. He looked down at Baby. One clawed hand pointed to a turn around a corner. He followed the stream that took the same path and he heard them well before he saw them.  
  
"Why don't you ever admit it? You act all high and mighty, but I don't care how powerful you are. It's your fault and you cannot put the blame on me!"  
  
Tyr turned the corner and saw an angry Rainbow Marine Mermaid, her tail flicking madly in the water. She was looking up at someone and when he followed her gaze he saw Meteor Black Dragon.  
  
'What is his fault?'  
  
"We can't control the way of the mortal world. I cannot be blamed for another mortal with a car. It was an accident. A horrible one, yes, but an accident." The continued to watch each other before Meteor put in the final word. "Besides, his sister was the one who dragged him out at that time, so happy after finding 'you'."  
  
'They're talking of my family?'  
  
It looked like Marine was ready to launch herself at the more powerful card, but Tyr quickly stepped out. His movement caused both cards to stop and then stare at who had appeared before them.  
  
Meteor descended from his spot on the cliff and made his way down to Tyr's side, while Marine followed the stream over. He looked at both of them and could feel his families last words running through his mind.  
  
But to see them fighting with each other. That hurt. Didn't they realize how much they meant to him?  
  
'What exactly were you fighting about?' He formed the question clearly in his head. But both cards looked away without giving him an answer.  
  
'I know it was about my family and the point that they died, but why should that involve you two?' Still no answer and now neither could look him in the eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned slightly till he could see one of his most powerful magic cards. Change of Heart.  
  
The dual hearted angel looked calmly back.  
  
"They fight over which one of them caused the death's of them. Each blame the other, taking no blame for themselves." He heard twin growls from the mentioned cards but he ignored them for the moment, concentrating on the one who was answering his question, when no one else would.  
  
'How could they have been the cause?'  
  
"The only reason your mother and sister were out at that moment was to go buy Cards for you. If they hadn't, they'd still be alive. They'd still be with you today" It came out with no emotion and no blame. It was from a magic card which held no concept of grief or distress, only winning and losing and the orders of its Duelist which it had just carried out.  
  
The shock of that rocked Tyr back and he landed on his knees, his head bowed and eyes unseeing. He could feel the distress from the cards behind him, thinking that now he would hate them. But they didn't realize he could never hate them. They were given to him by the ones he loved more than life itself. They held their blessings and wishes.  
  
And their love.  
  
No, the only person he hated was himself. If he had never shown an interest in Dueling than he wouldn't have lost them. They would have had more money to be together. It wasn't Marine or Meteor's fault.  
  
It was his.  
  
It had always been his. His and his fascination with a game.  
  
He felt arms wrap around him and tears sink into his hair. He had forgot the fact that the cards knew his mind and he turned to look at the crying mermaid.  
  
"It's not your fault. It was never your fault. Let us deal with the blame. You need to rest." Before he could protest he felt himself drifting off in to sleep and when next he woke he was staring at the unknown ceiling, wondering if it had all been a dream. But when he moved he noticed the dampness across his shoulders where he had been held by a mermaid.  
  
'She had been so much like Kiora. All love at that moment.' He curled up with his knees to his chest and cried, but this time he knew that he wasn't alone anymore and that in a way, his family was still watching over him. 


	4. 4

It wasn't his ceiling, as was becoming usual, but at least this time he knew where he was. Tyr lay there awhile longer, letting his mind catch up with his heart. He had slept peacefully for the first time in a long while and he cherished the feeling.  
  
'It's because of them. It's because they were with me, just like mother and Kiora used to be.' He smiled slightly, but it turned into a frown when he remembered them fighting. Fighting, over who had caused him this pain and loss. He shook his head and got out of bed, still as silent as ever. If the cards could read his mind, then there was still no reason to talk, still no words that needed to be said.  
  
He walked over to the window in the small room and watched the rising sun. It was a new day, with new possibilities.  
  
'Yeah right.'  
  
He turned from the window and headed for the door, stopping when he saw his deck placed on a table. He stared for a long time at those cards, watching the unmoving pieces of paper that held so much meaning for him.  
  
'More than just meaning, they hold my heart within him. At least I know they'll guard it well.' He reached over and picked them up and placed them in his pocket before walking out of the room and downstairs. He heard voices, long before he saw anyone and he followed them to what he guessed was the kitchen.  
  
The people from yesterday were all there and he wondered if they were ever apart. Then he wondered how it felt to have someone who cared for you always around.  
  
'Must be nice.'  
  
//Hey! We're here for you. You can't forget us!// He looked around in surprise before his mind recognized that voice. It was Marine!  
  
//Very good. Now go eat, you feel like your hungry.//  
  
'How would you know?'  
  
//I just do.// was the smug little reply. He shook his head. In some ways she was so much like Kiora, but he could still tell the difference. He walked fully into the kitchen and sat down at the table, unnoticed for a minute, or two until Grandpa looked over at him and smiled.  
  
"Feeling better this morning?" Tyr nodded and smiled slightly and for some reason the old man's smile grew wider. "Well then, you can join us for breakfast if you like." Again Tyr nodded yes and soon everyone had there mouth's full. Yugi had come to sit beside Tyr and when there was a pause amidst the inhaling of food he asked Tyr a question.  
  
"We're going down to the beach today, since it is Saturday and we're wondering if you would like to join us?" Tea looked over then.  
  
"Yeah! It'd be fun and it's always better to have more people around." This surprised him. They hardly knew him but they still wanted to be around him? Or did they just feel sorry for him.  
  
//Give them a chance. They are trying to be nice.// It wasn't Marine's voice this time. It was deeper, older and male.  
  
'Meteor?'  
  
//Yes?// He smiled.  
  
'Just curious as to who it was.' He felt the card nod and it was a weird sensation to say the least.  
  
//Ahh, well since you know it's me, how about giving them an answer?// Tyr looked up again and saw that they were waiting for an answer. He quickly nodded his head and they smiled.  
  
"Alright! Now we can all go have fun!" That came from Joey and the minute the words had left the blonds mouth he stood up and grabbed Tyr with one hand and Yugi with the other and dragged them out of the house and towards the bus stop, with the others following close behind. He could only shake his head at the blonde's actions as he was dragged into the bus with Yugi. Once they were all seated he turning to the tri-coloured hair boy and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Yugi laughed.  
  
"He's always doing that, I think it's because we're shorter then him." Tyr just shook his head and settled in for the bus ride.  
  
Marine swam in the small stream, back and forth, back and forth. It was the closest she could come to pacing with her body.  
  
"Why can't there be a water field card in the deck huh?" She grumbled. "I mean mister-all-high-and-mighty gets his own field card so what about me?" She sighed and switched to her back, continuing her pattern effortlessly. She noticed she was being watched. With a flick of her tail she moved herself over to the bank and came face to face with Doma. She shivered looking into those unseeing eyes. Known as either the angel of silence or doom she caused Marine unending amounts of unease.  
  
"What do you want, Doma?" The card smiled.  
  
"I come with a warning." Marine raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And that would be.?"  
  
"It's your turn today." And with that she was gone. But the cold wind that had come with her didn't. Marine shivered and quickly moved back into the safety of her small amount of water, going down as deep as she could and huddling there, making sure a certain somebody didn't see her like this.  
  
'What did she mean, 'my turn'?' She shivered again and wrapped her tail around her body, not moving until alter that day.  
  
When they arrived at the beach Tyr had paused for a moment, just staring at the unending blue and silver that was constantly moving, hiding the life that lived beneath it's surface. He had to smile as he fought back tears. This was a place of wings and waves. This was a place that would always be theirs.  
  
'Why didn't I come back here earlier? It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would have?' But he knew that if he hadn't talked with the cards and if he hadn't had people here with him, he might have just thrown himself off a cliff and into those powerful waves to join the ones he had lost.  
  
'But I'm here now.' He continued down the path to the beach and joined the others playing in the sand and surf. They spent most of the day playing there and although Tyr never said a word, no one commented on it. They just accepted it as fact. It was evening when they finally relaxed on the grassy part of the beach, lying there, enjoying the cool breeze. Joey turned to Tyr and smiled.  
  
"So, wanna try dueling again?" Tyr thought about it as Tristan smacked Joey across the head, before nodding, to their surprise. Joey cheered and within seconds a duel had begun.  
  
Tyr kept calm about this, knowing that the cards didn't mind this and that he should feel free to use them. He smiled and lay down his first cards and Joey did the same. Around the third turn, Marine was in his hand and he sacrificed Doma the angel of Silence to play her. He saw her on the field and smiled.  
  
Marine laughed as she hit the field, shaking her earlier dread away and preparing for battle. She destroyed her opponents Baby Dragon with a wave to the defeated card. It made a fuss but then again it was only a child. She could feel Tyr's opponent get upset for a moment and then she felt him cheer. Curious she waited to see what card he could have drawn that would make him happy. She knew he had the Time Wizard in defense as well as two others, but with baby dragon gone, why so happy?  
  
As the card entered the field, with two sacrificed, she found out. Red Eyes Black Dragon stared down at her, and she knew she didn't have a prayer.  
  
Tyr stared at the card and then swore to himself. Joey chose not to attack and let Tyr draw his next card. It was a move the blond should not have allowed. Meteor Black Dragon stared back at him and he smiled. But he only had one card out, but he also had a magic card that could help. He smiled at Joey and played Change of Heart, taking his Time Wizard and sacrificing both it and Marine for Meteor. He watched the expression on Joey's face as he beat Red-Eyes and brought his Life Points down to nearly nothing.  
  
He would win this duel next turn.  
  
Marine looked around the cold, desolate landscape, dotted with thousands upon thousands of graves. She still couldn't believe it. It just didn't want to click.  
  
"He sacrificed.me?"  
  
She shivered and curled up on the hard ground where she couldn't move; couldn't fight. She was about to close her eyes against the tears she couldn't fight, when a hand touched her shoulder. A warm hand! She looked up and blinked. Then blinked once more before reaching out to the figure above her.  
  
"K-kiora?" 


	5. 5

Marine looked up in surprise at the human, or rather, the ghost. She raised one shaky hand to touch the one on her shoulder and gasped. It really was Kiora. She felt real and warm.  
  
"Kiora? What are you doing here?" The girl smiled.  
  
"I'm here to be with you for now. You shouldn't be left alone in this place and so that's why I'm here." Marine was still confused.  
  
"But, you're human!"  
  
"I'm also dead." Marine had no comment for that and looked away in shame, but Kiora grabbed her chin gently and forced her to look back. "It's not your fault. Nor is it any card's fault. What happened, happened and nothing can change that."  
  
"But it's not fair, to you or to Tyr!" Marine knew she was crying and at that moment she didn't care. She buried her head into Kiora's lap and sobbed. "If only you hadn't have found me, if only you hadn't have gone back out." Kiora let her cry herself out and then brushed back her hair.  
  
"I admit, it was cruel and I wish it could change, but it can't and now we're all going to have to make the best of it, but I'll need your help." She sighed and looked off into the distance, across the vast sea of graves. "I'm dead and can no longer see my brother, or comfort him, but you can." She turned back to the mermaid. "He has always loved his cards and has cherished them for what they mean to him, not what they can do. That's why only the cards can help him except help from humans again." She smiled sadly. "And you and Meteor have the best chance out of all of them. His heart resides with both of you."  
  
"Meteor and I will never get along." Kiora sighed as Marine turned away.  
  
"I know you both still blame each other and I also know it's more than just that, but you have to try, if not for your own sake than for Tyr's and mine." Marine kept her eyes turned away from the human for a moment longer before she laughed bitterly.  
  
"But what good am I? I'm a weak card, worthless compared to Meteor."  
  
"Is my love worthless?" Marine looked over at her in shock.  
  
"No! Of course not." She shook her head. "How can you even think such a thing?" Kiora smiled.  
  
"Because that is what you just said. You said you were worthless and since you hold all the love I have for my brother, my love is worthless."  
  
"But I-". Marine fell silent, ashamed at her thoughts. "But how can I be of any use?" A soft laugh caused her to look at the human.  
  
"In terms of dueling, I don't know, because I don't know the game. But in terms of Tyr, just use your heart and your head. He's on the road to recovery, but he still thinks all he needs are the cards."  
  
"But we can't always be there for him. We can't hold him, or be with him during the day or night."  
  
"That's true, but you're also something that will never go away. You're something he will never lose and therefore."  
  
"Something that will never hurt him again." Kiora nodded.  
  
"Help him to see that he can love again, that there are other families, not just the ones that are formed by blood." She reached over and hugged Marine. "You are a gift straight from my heart and nothing will ever change that. You are not worthless, and never will be."  
  
Tyr sat in the living room with the others. After the duel they had all decided to head back and order in pizza. It had been a wonderful day, but still Tyr kept his distance from them. He sighed silently as he watched them play. They were so at ease with each other, had such a close bond.  
  
'So imagine what would happen to the rest if one of them left?' He cringed at that thought. It seemed like the others wouldn't survive without each other. That half of them would be missing.  
  
'Kinda like me.' He sighed again and looked out the window he was curled up next to. He stared blankly out at the dark night and didn't notice someone had sat down beside him until he spoke.  
  
"It still hurts, doesn't it?" He turned and saw Yugi sitting beside him and knew immediately what he was talking about. He nodded. "Why don't you speak anymore?"  
  
'Because it's not worth the effort.' But he said nothing out loud, just continued to look at Yugi. The other boy sighed.  
  
"Is there nothing you would let us do to help?" The wording caused Tyr to pause a moment.  
  
'Am I really stopping everyone from helping? No. It's just better this way. Safer.' He shook his head no and smiled softly. Yugi frowned but then smiled again.  
  
"Well if you want anymore pizza now would be the time to take it. Joey and Tristan never leave anything left." Yugi patted him on the shoulder and walked back over to the others to get promptly tackled by a certain blond. Tyr smiled softly at the sight but then turned away. He didn't need anyone else to be close to.  
  
'I have my cards, and they're enough for me.'  
  
After the duel Marine had found herself back in the safety of her deck and quickly moved into the sun-warmed water of the stream. She sighed happily as the final chill from the graveyard left her body and she could relax. At one point Doma walked by, a smug smiled on her face but Marine ignored the so-called angel. She had other things to think about.  
  
As she swam on her back, tail flicking lazily, she wondered again what she could do to help. She also tried to figure out how she could ever bring herself to work with that dragon.  
  
'I could never work with him. It's as simple as that. We don't get along and never will, there is just too many differences between us, not to mention his annoying attitude.' She turned herself over onto her stomach and moved faster down the stream, as her annoyance caused her to become frustrated. 'He thinks he's king and that we should all bow down to him.' She climbed up onto one of the rocks and rested in the warmth of day in the Shadow Realm. 'But I'll never bow down to him.'  
  
Tyr spent the next day at the Game Shop with Grandpa. People had seen how to had relaxed around the older man and thought it was more important to his health than school at the moment. Tyr didn't care either way, he was just happy to be around someone who didn't force him to speak.  
  
"Tyr?" He looked up at the sound of the older man's voice. "A new shipment of cards has come in and I wanted to know if you could help sort out the singles?" Tyr nodded and smiled before joining the other behind the counter. He handed Tyr one pile of packs to open and sort into singles for sale and Tyr did so happily, having a chance to look at a lot of new cards as he did so.  
  
They had been at it for an hour or so when Tyr spotted a card that caught his interest. It was a field card called Umiiruka.  
  
'Increase the attack of all Water monsters by 500 points and decrease their defense by 400 points. A decent card and I don't have a field card for all my water cards.' He smiled and showed the card to Grandpa, before reaching for his wallet, but the other man stopped him and shook his head.  
  
"I've given everyone in your family and card that meant a lot to them, this can be yours." Tyr nodded, not knowing what else to say and then placed the card into his deck.  
  
'This is for you Marine. Now both you and Meteor each have your own field.'  
  
Meteor watched the cards move around in the deck. He watched them talk and play fight, practice or simply laze about. It was rather relaxing to be able to do all this on top of a mountain. But one thing happened today that he didn't expect.  
  
A corner of their deck started to expand and from within the center a huge wave of water emerged, leaping into existence like a dolphin would leap into a wave. The wave expanded so that it covered the whole area that had been newly formed and then it relaxed. Where once had stood nothing, now stood their own private sea. He raised his head and looked down at the water cards in the deck. They were looking at it in awe and even he, who had no reason to go near the sea could not help but marvel at it's beauty.  
  
But one cry got his attention over all the others. He looked down and saw Marine staring at the sea from where she sat it the stream. Unlike the others, she couldn't crawl over to it and it almost seemed as if it were there to torment her.  
  
'But Tyr isn't like that. He wouldn't have known.' He started to make his way down the mountain and over to Marine, who watched his approach warily. He knew they had their differences and would never fully get along, but he couldn't bear to see a fellow card in sorrow.  
  
"Grab onto my neck and I'll bring you over to it." She looked surprised, but didn't make any sarcastic remark, just did as she was told which surprised him. Once she had a firm grip he brought her over and lay her down in the water. She seemed to come alive and moved quickly to the deepest part, laughing out loud and smiling.  
  
Meteor had to smile at the sight.  
  
'Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.' 


End file.
